AN ELECTRICIAN who crashed a company van and left it in a ditch has been found guilty of drink-driving after being traced by police.

Patrick Cribb, 30, pleaded guilty at Northwich Magistrates Court on Thursday to being twice over the legal limit to drive on Christmas Eve. Cribb quit his job with the Winsford-based Weaver Vale Housing Trust following the incident.

The court heard the father-of-one, who lives in Tarvin, was traced by police after a Trust employee told them he should have been driving the van that was found in a ditch on New Road in Winsford.

'He confirmed to police that the defendant should have been driving. Officers went to the defendant's house and asked him to provide a breath specimen. The defendant said he had drunk one can of Guinness after the collision. He was taken to Chester police station where a breath test showed him to be over the limit. He confirmed he had been the driver and that he had drunk two pints of lager prior to the collision and a can of Guinness afterwards.'

Henry Hills, defending, said: 'The defendant accepts he was over the limit. He is married with a nine-year-old son and his wife is expecting a second child. He lost his job after resigning as a result of this. He had worked there for 14 years. He currently has no income as he is not eligible for benefits.'